Best online documentation tools are essential for special niche applications. The digital age requires both a quick posting of ideas and full documentation book that should be able to answer all questions on how to do things. Thus, various forums, wikis and blogs were created over the years. As they were more and more popular, they required much more space than what was available traditionally.
On a small or medium sized business, it can be difficult to keep track of the number of files that are created and used in the course of work. This is especially true when it comes to documents as they are always printed and sent through different channels, or given to clients. Keeping track of these things is important, and free online documentation tools can help you with this task.
There’s so much more to your software product than just the code. In order for users to get the most out of your software, you need to provide them with useful documentation – whether that’s for other developers or end users of your product.
In order to provide the best user experience for your software, you need to invest in the right documentation tools to host your documentation. It’s no good just creating a Google Drive folder and expecting that to do the job, as your software is likely to be too complex for such a solution. Users need straightforward instructions to understand how the software works and what they can use it for. This is where your software documentation comes in.
What Is Software Documentation?
Remember, docs or it didn’t happen. Software documentation is any written document that explains how a piece of software works, why it was built, and how it is intended to be used. Depending on the complexity of your software, your documentation can contain information on the general use of the product and in-depth dives into functions and features.
Software documentation, according to Daniele Procida, can be divided into four categories:
- Learning-oriented tutorials
- Goal-oriented how-to guides
- Understanding-oriented discussions
- Information-oriented reference material
You need all these types of documentation to provide comprehensive instructions for your software product.
Documentation Software Key Features 
ProProfs Knowledge Base
- 25+ ready-to-use, professionally built templates
- Add images & videos to your documentation
- Improve collaboration – define roles & permissions
- Add your company branding & colors
- Get delightful reports & analytics
- 100+ settings & integrations
Get Started Free(Pricing starts at $0)
Bit.ai
- Real-time document collaboration
- Write and edit content with smart editor
- Built-in document tracking
DocuWare
- Import and index documents
- Track edits and save changes made to your document
- Automate workflows and assign tasks easily
Document360
- Knowledge Base Assistant
- Markdown & WYSIWYG Editors
- Versioning & Rollback
Atlassian Confluence
- Create documents with customizable templates
- Set flexible permissions
- Create content collaboratively
StepShot
- Identify wrong content with OCR technology
- Customize documents without coding
- Export content in multiple formats
ClickHelp
- Publish content in various formats
- Save unlimited versions of your document
- Single sign-on and regular backups for document security
Process Street
- User-friendly interface to create a structured process document
- Single sign-on and regular backups for document security
- Assign workflows and monitor team activities
Paligo
- Set conditions to filter content
- Write and edit with XML based editor
- Compare different versions of a document easily
Docusaurus
- Create new versions of documents
- Translate content in over 70 languages
- Write content with Markdown editor
Heflo
- Effective version control system
- Export or import files easily to your document
- Write and edit with WYSIWYG editor
DocuShare
- Simple text editor to write and edit content
- Customizable templates to create content the way you want
- Save different versions of your document and keep track of the changes made
Documize
- Create a natural flow of your content for better readability
- Import word docs easily
- Reusable templates to help you create documents with ease
Nuclino
- Store previous versions of your document to track changes
- A powerful search mechanism
- Assign roles to users
Zoho Workdrive
- Upload bulk files instantly to your documentation
- Keep your folders private or public
- Assign roles to users and control access
Dokit
- User-friendly interface to create content easily
- Track revisions, check updates, and manage versions
- Allow team members to work collaboratively
Doccept
- Preformatted documents to build online documentation
- Automate workflow management
- Full-Text search system
Intellect Document Control
- Set user permissions easily
- Customize workflows and document controls
- Set workflow for quality check
Adoddle
- Document scanning and indexing
- Seamless workflow and approval system
- Archive documents easily
FormStack
- Create documentation with customized templates
- Set permissions for users and define their rights
- Allow multiple users to manage your content
Qualityze
- User-friendly interface to create documentation
- Save previous versions of your document and track changes
- Create workflows and track status of articles
Now, let’s take a look at the individual features, pricing, and why to use the above-mentioned online documentation software.
1.ProProfs Knowledge Base
ProProfs provides one of the simplest documentation software. It takes care of all your documentation needs right from creation and customization to editing and finally publishing it. You get insightful reports with stats such as popular articles, poorly rated articles, failed searches and more. Its powerful features are instrumental in building documentation of all kinds – technical, training, IT, and the like.
ProProfs is being used by some of the leading global brands, including Adobe, Acer, Nissan, HighQ, and many others. It addresses various concerns such as reducing external and internal tickets, increasing team collaboration, streamlining business processes, and much more.
It helps you at three major fronts:
- Streamlining knowledge management for businesses of all shapes
- Reducing tickets and bridging knowledge gaps among employees
- Ensuring smooth employee onboarding and support operations
2.Bit.ai
Bit offers a robust solution for document creation and collaboration. Packed with powerful features, Bit is the perfect tool to simplify your processes and work smartly.
It’s an all-in-one package that helps you with multiple things, including software documentation, content management, document tracking, document management, and much more.
Designed carefully to work with companies working across a spectrum of industries, Bit is the perfect choice for document creation and management.
Features:
✓ Real-Time Collaboration
Allow your teams to edit documents together, and add real-time comments, regardless of where they are located. ✓ Document Tracking
Get actionable insights into the time users spend on your doc, how far they scroll, when do they stop scrolling and more. ✓ Templates
Choose from a wide variety of beautiful templates and themes that look great on multiple devices. ✓ Smart Editor
Style and format your content using the Smart Editor provided by Bit. Pricing starts at:
$12/Up to 50 members/month
3.DocuWare
If you are looking for digital document management and automated workflows, DocuWare is the right solution.
Available as both cloud and on-premise solutions, it is perfectly designed to align with your business requirements.
The software currently caters to global customers across a wide spectrum of industries right from retail and healthcare to manufacturing and government.
Features:
✓ File Import
Importing and indexing documents is a breeze with this feature. No user interaction with MS Office required. ✓ Versioning
Track edits and save changes made to your document. Get access to document histories anytime you want. ✓ Control Dashboard
Keep track of your workflows from a centralized dashboard. ✓ Workflow Automation
Automate workflows and set rules for document handling, assigning tasks, and much more. Pricing –
Available on Request
4.Document360
Document360 is a one-stop solution for all your documentation needs, from creating user manuals and product guides to SaaS documentation, technical documentation, and more. It can help businesses create both public and private documentation or knowledge base for their customers and employees respectively. With an array of rich features, an impressive dashboard, and real-time analytics, Document360 makes collaboration between help authors a breeze.
This documentation software helps you reduce your support ticket requests, improve agent productivity & provide instant support to your customers.
Features:
✓ Knowledge base assistant
You can reduce your support tickets and deliver 24×7 customer support by integrating knowledge base assistant with your website. ✓ Versioning
You can access all the version history and never miss out on anything. ✓ Real-time analytics
Real-time analytics and powerful insights let you understand how your documentation is performing. ✓ Multilingual knowledge base
Helps you build a knowledge base with multiple languages with the help of AI. Pricing starts at:
$99/project/month.
5.Atlassian Confluence
Best known for its capability in building private as well as public technical documentation, Confluence is trusted by companies globally.
This software comes packed with powerful features that deliver an unmatched document-building experience, making it a great tool for documentation.
It allows you to conveniently write, organize, and share content, making it accessible to who so ever needs it.
Features:
✓ Customizable Templates
Ready-made templates to help create documentation, the way you want. ✓ Flexible Permissions
Set granular permissions and control who can do what in the document. ✓ Page and File Versioning
Track changes and revert to previous versions when required ✓ Real-Time Editing
Allow users to add comments, mentions, likes, etc. for collaborative editing. Pricing starts at:
$10/month
6.StepShot
StepShot is one of the best documentation software for creating process documentation. Simple, powerful, and comprehensive, this software provides the perfect solution to build and share content easily. It’s best for enterprise consultants, IT operations teams, CEOs of organizations, and human resources.
Features:
✓ Easy Exporting
Export content in multiple formats such as PDF, HTML, PowerPoint, WordPress, and more. ✓ Customization
Its PDF template editor allows you to customize your document to match your brand. Coding not required at your end. ✓ OCR Technology
The software’s OCR technology helps you spot the wrong content and allows you to add it wherever it fits best. Pricing –
Available on Request
7.ClickHelp
ClickHelp is one of the best tools for software documentation. It houses unmatched features that help you build the finest documentation for your software. Striving to help firms reduce time while creating documents and increase conversion rates through improved user experience, ClickHelp is the best choice, especially for software vendors.
Features:
✓ Version History
You get to save unlimited versions of your document and track the previous changes made by users. ✓ Multi-Channel Publishing
Publish your document in multiple formats such as PDF, web page, and more. ✓ In-Depth Analytics and Reporting
Analyze how your document is performing with the help of useful insights into content quality, user behavior, and much more. ✓ Security and Reliability
Single sign-on, regular backups, cloud or on-premise hosting for your document, and much more to ensure that your documentation is secure. Pricing starts at:
$43/user/month.
8.Process Street
Process street is majorly used to build processes or procedures documentation. Its intuitive interface makes it super easy to create documentation in no time.
The software allows you to keep track of recurring workflows, enhance collaboration, and monitor activities from a single dashboard.
A great tool for documentation, Process Street, can be used for accomplishing multiple goals such as employee onboarding, candidate screening, IT help desk support, and much more.
Features:
✓ Simple Interface
The software’s user-friendly interface allows you to create a structured process document in a hassle-free way. Its simple keyboard shortcuts and drag & drop system make it extremely easy to use this software. ✓ Collaborative Workflows
Assign workflows to your team, monitor the activities of team members and get notified on completion of tasks. ✓ Multimedia
Include images, videos as well as audio to your document to make it engaging for readers. ✓ Groups
This feature helps you manage the permissions of different users easily. Pricing –
Available on request.
What Makes Online Documentation Software the Best?
The best online documentation software should come equipped with unmatched features. It integrates seamlessly with third-party tools, offers a wide array of customization, collaboration, user management options and it should be user-friendly. Regardless of your target audience – employees or customers, the best online documentation software helps you create a compelling document that is searchable and accessible anytime, anywhere. It offers reports for you to know what are people searching for that they aren’t finding answers to, popular articles, poorly rated articles, and more.
Conclusion
Online documentation tools are essential for a good project management. Good documentation is important for every aspect of a project, including software and network work, so as to ensure the system being developed is working properly.
The oldest internet users are somewhat familiar with online documentation tools, some of them were even born before the internet and have used online documentation tools since the beginning of their lives. They usually notice that newbies do not know how to use these programs properly and spend most of their time on learning how they work.